Re-barreling Eddystone M1917

This is a discussion on Re-barreling Eddystone M1917 within the Bolt Action forums, part of the Gun Forum category; I picked up a 1917 enfield at the last gun show for $110. The barrel was in bad shape, and the stock had been cut ...

I picked up a 1917 enfield at the last gun show for $110. The barrel was in bad shape, and the stock had been cut down ("sporterized" -- more like destroying a thing of beauty!), but the iron sights and everything else was all there. I figured at that price it was worth it, even if I had to re-barrel it. Sure enough, when I fired some HXP through it, I noticed that it wasn't making any holes in the paper, and my friend noticed that a blast of copper flecks would come out of the barrel. Yep, the barrel was so bad that the bullets were coming apart within a few yards of the muzzle! OK, no more shooting that rifle!

I'm trying to decide what I want to do with it now. I'm thinking about making a custom sniper rifle out of it. I've heard that p.14s and m1917s are really strongly-built, and I've heard of them being re-chambered in all different calibers (up to .338 lapua). I may just slap a new .30 '06 barrel on it and call it good... maybe start hand-loading for it... but I was thinking about possibly going to .300 win mag. Anybody have any experience with these rifles? What all would be involved with re-chambering it for .300 WM?

Mine was a barrel, receiver, bolt and trigger when I got it a year or so back at a gunshow. The metal parts came from Numrich and the stock/handguards from Sarco.

Back to fighting trim for about $500 (original cost and the parts). Don't modify it to the point you can't bring it back. There are plenty of (already) sporterized US Enfields out there already that could be turned into a magnum.

I'm going to have to agree - if the receiver hasn't been butchered, don't do it. Either sell it to someone who will restore it and buy a new rifle, or restore it yourself.

As stated earlier, sporterizing a US Enfield is expensive, and not many gunsmiths today even know how to go about it. When you're done you find that you've spent a buttload of money and have a rifle worth $250 that doesn't really do what you want it to.

You can buy a Stevens Model 200 (Savage 110 pre-Accu-trigger) for right around $300. It will cost very nearly that much just to buy a decent barrel, let alone having it installed.

It is a no brainer. I would get a new barrel from the CMP for $190.
I have one that I have not used yet. It is really nice.
Look on Ebay or Ebang for a suitable stock. Get it all together and take on people like me at the Eastern or Western games in the 600 agg Garand/Springfield/Vintage matches and the National games matches at Perry.
When changing the barrel, you should relieve the pressure by making a cut with a cutting wheel ahead of the receiver around the circumference of the bad barrel. It will come off easy without damage to the receiver.

I'm going to have to agree - if the receiver hasn't been butchered, don't do it. Either sell it to someone who will restore it and buy a new rifle, or restore it yourself.

As stated earlier, sporterizing a US Enfield is expensive, and not many gunsmiths today even know how to go about it. When you're done you find that you've spent a buttload of money and have a rifle worth $250 that doesn't really do what you want it to.

You can buy a Stevens Model 200 (Savage 110 pre-Accu-trigger) for right around $300. It will cost very nearly that much just to buy a decent barrel, let alone having it installed.

Or there's already enough 'sporterized' 1917s out there to sink a skiff. Many for a very low price. If ya want a custom , find one of these and do it over right. I've seen unbutchered 1917 actions go for $400. The small parts are still out there to put an unmessed with action back in military trim or make a good looking shooter with repro stock & barrel.

strip all the stuff off it,send the barrelled action to krieger bblls saying you want an original contoured bbl in 1x11.25 5r rifleing, chrome lined. then send all the stuff to wenigstocks and have a bastogne walnut orig stock fabricated for it.read the sniper country ad on the 5r rifling including subsection.send him the instructions for the cmp rules for the orig issue shoots where no bedding/glue(brain fart for a minute here)is permitted.have the stock fitted.you will then have one helluva accurate rifle in great condition.

I bought 2 Remington P14 actions from some ad in the Shotgun news years ago, They were marked DP on the front receiver [drill purpose] I built a 458 Win mag out of one of them. I left the full box magazine and straighten the floor plate out [5 rounds cap] and had a stock made, I left the barrel stright in the chamber area about 3 inches to make scope mounting easier and put a scout style scope on it, the smith that did most of the work put one of his muzzle brakes on it and gave it a mat blue on it. It looks huge but shoots like a 243 win. I'm thinking about having the chamber cut to a 458 Lott. I'm thinking about a 338 RUM on the other one.